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  #1  
Old 08-21-2019, 08:41 PM
mjbarry mjbarry is offline
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Default Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

I just inherited my wife's late 2009 iMac. I'm going to upgrade the RAM to 16 so I can run Pro Tools 10.latestversion on it. I have PT 10 for PC but my PC has fan noise and the iMac is virtually silent, so I'm going to use the iMac for PT only.

I'd also like to upgrade the internal hard disk to an SSD. If I do this, is it possible that the system would then be running too fast for version 10 of Pro Tools? I am going to shift the MacOS back to 10.8.5.

I'm not that familiar with Macs, and I've seen this happen on PC's when there is older software running on a new OS and a fast machine.

Thanks!

Mike
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  #2  
Old 08-21-2019, 09:07 PM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

There is no such thing as a disk running too fast.

Opening up an iMac and installing anything can be a challenge. Look carefully at online upgrade guides and tear down instructions for this exact model iMac. You may be better off paying a Mac repair center to do stuff for you. Lack of fast external IO (USB 2 and Firewire only) on that model, and lack of official support for High Sierra and Mojave pretty much limits your options here for running modern Pro Tools releases... and 2019.x is so much better than 10 I know where I would want to be. So lots of things to ask yourself before investing in this old iMac, you might consider what a better setup you could get buying a used more recent iMac.

What CPU and exact model number is this iMac... it may not be worth doing a lot with say if it is a Core 2 Duo.
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  #3  
Old 08-21-2019, 09:19 PM
Sardi Sardi is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm View Post
What CPU and exact model number is this iMac... it may not be worth doing a lot with say if it is a Core 2 Duo.

That’s a VERY good point.

IIRC, that model was when they switched to the i5/i7 series of CPUs, but they still had C2D models in the line.

As Darryl said, I’d look at a slightly newer model. You can probably find a more recent iMac with an SSD already in it on the second hand market for not much more than it would cost you to pay someone to put an SSD in your current model.

FYI - they’re not that easy to service. Yes, it’s straight forward if you follow he steps, but the cables are so short that pulling or lifting a part a little too much can cause serious issues. Speaking from experience here. Life’s the LCD panel a touch too far and ripped the ribbon connector off the MB. Bye bye $3000 computer.



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Old 08-21-2019, 10:16 PM
mjbarry mjbarry is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

Yes, it's a Core 2 Duo.

So, I'd need at least an i5 or i7 for this to really work. Hrm...shoot.

Thank you both for your responses. I appreciate the help! I guess I'll just keep using PT on my PC.

Mike



Model Name: iMac

Model Identifier: iMac10,1

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 3.06 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 3 MB

Memory: 4 GB

Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz

Boot ROM Version: IM101.00D0.B00

SMC Version (system): 1.53f13
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  #5  
Old 08-22-2019, 12:56 AM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

You can run Pro Tools on a Core 2 Duo, you can run it on a wet noodle if you want. But it all depends on what you want to do. A Core 2 Duo is well below the recommended current CPUs and you just will not be able to run many plugins, maybe none of what you want to run. I've been able to record stuff reliably on old Core2 Duo laptops with SSDs etc. and no plugins... however what a Core 2 Duo really likely means is its not worth spending more money on this computer.

If you look at other Macs be careful thinking about i5 processors. They have changed a lot over the years, as have the i7 (but to a lesser extent). Be careful about the number of cores and if the processors support hyper-threading or not. You cannot tell any of that by just saying "i5". Recent i5 are much more capable of older ones and I do no longer hold with the old advice that you really want an i7. Buying a used older system, I am very likely to want a quad core i7.
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  #6  
Old 08-22-2019, 12:38 PM
mjbarry mjbarry is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

The maximum number of tracks I’ll be using would be 12, including click. I want to re-record some 8 part trumpet ensemble pieces I had commissioned in the past and maybe the occasional track that someone wants a solo on.

Thanks for the information. I have some decisions to make.

Mike
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  #7  
Old 08-22-2019, 07:13 PM
Sardi Sardi is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mjbarry View Post
The maximum number of tracks I’ll be using would be 12, including click. I want to re-record some 8 part trumpet ensemble pieces I had commissioned in the past and maybe the occasional track that someone wants a solo on.



Thanks for the information. I have some decisions to make.



Mike


TBH, thats not going to put a great deal of strain on your machine. If no plugins are involved, your current iMac, even without an SSD, would be able to pull that off.

The only caveat is that more than likely, that’s a 5400RPM drive in that machine, so I’d record to an ext FW drive if possible. No USB3, so no point in hanging an ext. SSD off that machine.

Give it a crack and see how you go. Latency might be an issue, but maybe not.my suggestion would be to wipe the HD and install a fresh OS and only PT. Reduce the risk of any gremlins.


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Old 08-22-2019, 07:18 PM
Sardi Sardi is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

Oh. I just noticed the 4GB RAM. That’s not great. You can do it, but 8GB or more would be ideal.

FYI - I tracked 8 channels on a 003 on a 2011 MacBook Air with 4GB RAM without breaking a sweat. The machine was running 10.8.5 and PT11.

It was only an i3 processor but they do have SSDs in them, so that does help.

Again though, we were recording 8 channels easily on G4s etc back in the day. The specs of those machines are laughable compared to modern machines.

Just give it a go. You have nothing to lose but time.


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  #9  
Old 08-23-2019, 05:27 AM
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Ben Jenssen Ben Jenssen is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

I agree with Sardi, wipe the disk, do a clean install of mac os and PT10 and record to a external firewire drive, and you should be able to use that old imac. Be shure to apply all the optimization found here: Computer Optimization Guides (Mac and Windows), and don't use the computer for anything else, and it should work with your mbox pro, even with as little as 4gb RAM.
You might also consider using an older version of mac os, I have PT10 running on a 2008 mac pro with a osx 10.6.8 partition and it's very stable. I don't think 10.8.5 was ever supported by PT10, though many people have it working.
Forget the SSD.
And don't expect to be able to use very many plugins.
The number of tracks shouldn't be much of a problem, as long as it's a reasonably fast external disk, no usb. That's where you should put your money.


BTW, if you decide to try this, I would advice you to learn how to make disk images of the internal disk to the external one, along the way. For this, you need to have the os installed on both drives. Not at all as complicated as it might sound, much easier on mac than on windows. I'll give you a step-by-step if you want. The external drive would have to be, say 40-50gb +. I can also provide a os10.6.8 installer if you need it.



Go for it, and good luck!
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  #10  
Old 08-25-2019, 02:26 AM
mjbarry mjbarry is offline
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Default Re: Upgrade to SSD drive with PT 10?

First, thanks for all the help and advice! Nice of you all to take the time...

Sorry I didn't reply right away, had some performances tonight and last night.

I had planned on wiping the hard drive and starting over, updating it to the last compatible OS that Avid lists for PT 10. I do have a Glyph external drive that I'm planning on daisy-chaining with my Mbox Pro 3 to the iMac FireWire 800 port, and I'm planning on putting the Glyph first in the chain. The mbox pro 3 is FW400 only so I want the Glyph to stay running at 800.

As far as RAM goes, I will also be upgrading to 16GB if I get the basic setup working. FireWire cables come Monday to replace the ones I had been using. My PC must have taken some sort of surge in the past because my current FireWire cables don't work, and one of the Mbox FireWire ports doesn't work either.

Again, thanks. Appreciate it very much.
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